KTR demands cancellation of AMRUT tenders, faults Union Ministers’ silence

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao speaking to newspersons in Hyderabad on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

HYDERABAD

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao has hit back strongly at Minister for Revenue Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy for the latter’s comments on allegations of corruption in the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) tenders.

“There’s no need for Mr. Srinivasa Reddy to quit as it’s the Chief Minister (A. Revanth Reddy) who is responsible for irregularities in the allocation of tenders and he is required to quit since he’s holding the portfolio of Municipal Administration and Urban Development,” Mr. Rama Rao said while speaking to newspersons here on Sunday.

Ministers in the Congress government seem unaware of family connections, he said. Mr. Srinivasa Reddy had criticised Mr. Rama Rao for calling Mr. Revanth Reddy’s wife’s brother the CM’s brother-in-law, whose company secured a ₹1,137-crore tender. In response, Mr. Rama Rao clarified that he had only referred to the office of profit and other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Mr. Rama Rao stated that if Mr. Srinivasa Reddy were sincere, he should present the tender files, including past ones, to the Chief Justice of the High Court. “If the Chief Justice finds me at fault, I will not only resign as an MLA but leave politics altogether,” he said. He added that if Mr. Srinivasa Reddy is unwilling to approach the CJ, he should submit the files to the Central Vigilance Commission or any other Central agency.

The BRS leader questioned how a company with just ₹2 crore in profits could secure a ₹1,137-crore tender, suggesting both the Chief Minister and Mr. Srinivasa Reddy were fully aware of the irregularities and corruption involved.

Mr. Rama Rao urged the Chief Minister to cancel the tenders, warning that failure to do so could result in him losing his position, much like Ashok Chavan and B.S. Yediyurappa in the past. He said that he would spill the beans on the Kodangal Lift Irrigation Scheme contract, which was awarded to a firm owned by Mr. Srinivasa Reddy. He also criticised Union Ministers G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar for remaining silent on the irregularities in tenders related to the Centre’s schemes.